News & Current EventsDiscuss Brother tries to save man after massive sinkhole swallows Florida bedroom at the General Forum; A Florida man screamed for help and disappeared as a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of a house, his ...

A Florida man screamed for help and disappeared as a large sinkhole opened under the bedroom of a house, his brother said Friday.
The brother told rescue crews he heard a loud crash near midnight Thursday, then heard his brother screaming.
"When he got there, there was no bedroom left," Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico said.

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"There was no furniture. All he saw was a piece of the mattress sticking up," Damico said.
There's been no contact with the 36-year-old man identified as Jeff Bush, since then and neighbors on both sides of the Seffner home have been evacuated.
Fire and rescue officials say there "are no signs of life" from Bush, and say it's a recovery mission, not a rescue effort, MyFoxTampaBay.com reports.

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"We put engineering equipment into the sinkhole and didn't see anything compatible with life," Damico said. But Damico would not say that the man is presumed dead.
"We heard a loud crash. I ran in there and heard somebody screaming, my brother screaming, and I ran all in there," Jeremy Bush, the victim's brother told MyFoxTampaBay.com.
"And all I see is this big hole. All I see is the top of his bed. I didn't see anything else, so I jumped in the hole and tried getting him out. And I couldn't get him. I could hear him screaming for me, hollering for me."

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A deputy jumped in to pull Jeremy out, possibly saving his life.
"I went into the bedroom and I saw the sinkhole in the entire bedroom," Deputy Douglas Duvall told MyFoxTampaBay.com. "I saw the family member inside the hole who was trying to get the victim out. I reached out and was able to grab his hand and pull him out of the hole."

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"I couldn't get myself out," Jeremy Bush said. "The cop had to get me out."
Officials said the hole was about 30 feet in width and 20 feet deep.

Sinkholes are a very real problem around Tampa. For years they have been emptying the aquifer to support development. The new sea water plant has helped some but the caverns are a real danger.

I remember visiting a spring (tourist attraction) with friends as a child. We had a spoiled outing cause some diver had gone into the caves without a guide rope or buddy. Once the mud was stirred up in the caves you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. A lot of underground anomalies period.
I wish the whole state had been declared ecologically protected years ago but who knew so many people would finally buy swamp land!

Really? What other states would you like for people to be banned from populating?

I don't really give a damned about your redwoods and your spotted owls, bro. They paved over paradise that I grew up in so I hope the developers fall through a sink hole or get their's in a hurricane. Would serve em right but azzholes never lose I guess.
I know one thing for sure I'll never live there again. Makes me want to puke. It is SWAMP LAND. It was a joke for years how speculators could sell it to people from the north. Well finally a big crop did buy into it because they had lost their common sense. All they could see were dollar signs and "turn-over".
F__CK your trees. MY trees are gone. I don't give a sh*t what other state protects what. Stick it up your jolly roger, Roger.

I don't really give a damned about your redwoods and your spotted owls, bro. They paved over paradise that I grew up in so I hope the developers fall through a sink hole or get their's in a hurricane. Would serve em right but azzholes never lose I guess.
I know one thing for sure I'll never live there again. Makes me want to puke. It is SWAMP LAND. It was a joke for years how speculators could sell it to people from the north. Well finally a big crop did buy into it because they had lost their common sense. All they could see were dollar signs and "turn-over".
F__CK your trees. MY trees are gone. I don't give a sh*t what other state protects what. Stick it up your jolly roger, Roger.